Is Your Work Making You Unhappy?
Anxiety, depression and substance use disorders are on the rise in people working in MNC's.
Few of the reasons given by my patients are:
1. Long and erratic working hours
2. Office politics
3. Competitiveness amongst colleagues &
4. The pressure to meet deadlines/ targets.
In the long run, these plus many other stresses in their personal life, add up and exceed the brain's capacity to handle pressure.
The outcome is sleep problems, excessive alcohol/smoking (to counter stress) and eventually anxiety and depression.
This is a vicious cycle- stress leads to anxiety/depression, to relieve anxiety/ stress a person consumes alcohol and smokes which in turn increases anxiety and depression.
In order to remain mentally fit, you can try to:
1. Take leave every few months and give yourself rest
2. Spend quality time with family and friends
3. Stay away from office politics if that's a trigger
4. Limit your alcohol and smoking
5. Pick up a sport/ some form of relaxation exercise
6. Develop good sleep hygiene
7. Introspect
If ever you feel that you're not able to handle the stress, talk to your family and friends. If that doesn't help then don't shy away from consulting a psychiatrist- because the earlier you start treatment the better it is.